Ein Hand-enleben I – Getting the Conductor “Hand”

On a common music director’s gesture known as “the hand.”

Most wind players are familiar with two well-known quotes from composer (and conductor) Richard Strauss: “never encourage the brass” and “if you can hear the brass and woodwinds, they are too loud.”

More often than not, these quotations are interpreted cynically – relating to macho brass sections playing too loudly, eschewing a finer orchestral balance. Being a cynic myself this was my first impression. Above and beyond this, I would argue that there is great wisdom behind these words that is worth deeper investigation.

Dynamic balance and nuance is tricky thing for any musician in a large group to gauge. Just like in the business of property real estate, it is all about “location, location, location.”

Related to this is a hand gesture that some conductors use to alert musicians that they are playing too loud. It is known (somewhat antagonistically) in the business as “the Hand.”

The Hand

“The Hand” is used by conductors when they feel that a particular section of the orchestra is playing too loudly and needs to lower their dynamic level. It is a simple gesture; the left hand is held up at arm’s length, with the palm facing the offending sound. It is the same gesture that a traffic cop would use to stop oncoming traffic.

From a police officer it is a command that ordinary citizens immediately obey. Drivers will stop because they respect a police officers’ authority and because it is the law.

In a sense, a conductor is musical traffic cop. One part of their duty is to lead the various sections of the orchestra into a harmonious blend, preventing clashes and collisions.

However, a “stop” hand signal from a conductor can generate a mixed response. Never mind how accurate the conductor might be, or well-meaning (or even ill-willed) they might be in utilizing this gesture, some musicians will take it as a slight to their personal integrity and will either grudgingly obey it, or ignore it completely.

Don’t rain on my parade!

Brass players are particularly guilty of this I am afraid; less mature players – students and professionals – may interpret the Hand as a direct insult to their musical voracity.

One only needs to review the popular, tongue-in-cheek “Low Brass Player’s Creed” to see the logic in this observation. The version I remember from years ago was printed on parchment paper and was written in a Gothic font to give it the appearance of an ancient scroll.

While this mythical “creed,” which has been around for decades, is just a crude, profanity-laced joke not to be taken seriously, there is a small ounce of truth behind its sentiment that conductors (and fellow musicians) should be aware of.

In tomorrow’s “Ein Hand-enleben, II” this topic will continue…